French word of the week: sous

This series of weekly blogs takes a closer look at words from our French dictionaries. The word we're focusing on this week is the French preposition 'sous'. Read More

15 other words for ‘hot’

The word ‘hot‘ is frequently used in English, yet there are many other different words you can use instead to be more specific and make your writing more interesting. Many synonyms for ‘hot’ are used to show that something is of a very… Read More

St Nicholas and Santa Claus

We might not recognise it, but our modern Christmas celebration owes much to St Nicholas. Not to mention that his feast day on 6 December (or 19 December in the Julian calendar) is celebrated in many parts of Europe, especially with gifts for children. “Saint who?”… Read More

Coffee Talk: the roots of the world’s favourite bean

Java. Bean juice. A cup of joe. Whatever you call it, coffee is arguably one of the most popular drinks worldwide, with a reported two billion cups consumed every day. Today’s coffee is able to trace its origins back to the ancient coffee forests of Ethiopia. Read More

19 other words for ‘bad’

The word ‘bad’ is one that is frequently used in English, and yet there are many other different words you can use instead to be more specific and make your writing more interesting. There are several different meanings of ‘bad’, so decide on the meaning… Read More
graphic showing calendar

Advent and Advent Calendars

“The Lord Will Come and not be Slow”(John Milton) Ah, Advent! The season when children’s faces and some adults’ faces, too – mine, anyway – light up while, day by day, they open whatever kind of Advent calendar has come their way. I vividly remember, aged… Read More

Antarctica Day

This Thursday, 1 December, marks the annual Antarctica Day. If you’re wondering why such a day exists, its raison d’être is to celebrate the signing in 1959 of the Antarctic Treaty by the twelve countries then actively exploring the continent. The treaty recognised that this, the… Read More